Thinking About Money

I have always liked sugar way too much. I have a specific memory of myself as a child, dreaming about when I was older and had a job so I could buy myself unlimited quantities of soda and candy. At the time, I thought that money was the only thing standing between me and all the junk food I wanted to consume. As an adult, I’ve learned about all the ways that sugar hurts my health. I’ve spent a lot of time learning about nutrition and how to take care of my body with food and I no longer eat foods with noticeable amounts of sugar in them.

My attitudes about money haven’t evolved as much as my attitudes around food. I’ve only recently given up the idea that financial comfort means I don’t have to think about the money I spend. Now I see that it was always a pretty absurd idea. I’m a researcher at heart. I love to research varying approaches to any problem I encounter in life. I read constantly. I think about everything, yet my idea of financial health was to not need to think about it. I was very wrong.

Now I find that curiosity is the most useful attitude toward money in my life. Curiousity is replacing worry in my relationship to money. As with other aspects of how I live, I want my handling of money to help me care for myself and live my life in a way that expresses my values. Money can do that. I reduce stress in my life by saving a cushion for emergencies. I can provide myself and my animals with a nice place to live. I can take care of my health. I can support my community.

This journey toward a healthy relationship with money, isn’t a short-term project. It’s part of my life. The more I pay attention to money, the better my life gets. I didn’t see that coming.